Hey everyone! So... now that it's almost officially February, it's ok for me to be absolutely stoked for Valentine's Day! I mean what's not to love?? Love, appreciation – all the best things jam-packed in one day. And you know, with that appreciation, there comes a wishlist. Of course, true gestures of love can't be touched or seen, but a few extra goodies can't hurt, right??? I picked out some small gift ideas, some items I own, some I would absolutely love to own, and some that might be the perfect to give on that special day!! Check them out here:

BKRBottles are the new "it" water bottles. How great would these be as a gift to your best friend? Love that each color has a different colored heart. So simple & effective. We've all heard about how plastic bottles leaching harmful toxins into the water you drink, but with BKR you drink through a glass bottle. It makes for a safer, cleaner drinking experience, but also looks great! These are perfect for taking out on a run, to the beach, or to the gym. You can buy yours here.

Valentine's Day is around the corner! We've got some new items in the shop - including this gorgeous 'LOVE Script in gold, which is actually from my own handwriting! This would be a great addition to any gallery wall. Available now at MADE BY GIRL.

Hi everyone, Adri here of Adri's World. Since my last post was about winter neutrals, I felt that a "pop of color" would be the perfect follow up!

Sometimes all you need to brighten up your look is a great bold bag, jewelry or maybe a pair of gloves for those cloudy, dark days. If you want to have a daily pop of color, how about a bright wallet in bubble gum pink? I think it would make shopping even more fun! Color can be added to a monochromatic look or can be worn together to really make a statement. I love how that coat adds a bit of color to an otherwise classic and simple black and white look and with Valentine's Day around the corner, those sexy sandals would be the perfect addition to any outfit.

Do you wear bright colors in the winter or do you prefer them for the warmer weather?

Hello everyone! How was your weekend? As for me, I decided to get creative (as usual) over the weekens & make some dark chocolate glitter apples. I love Dark chocolate & for this DIY I used Green & Black's 85% bar & Honey Crisp apples. These particular apples are ideal for this because they're always crunchy, juicy & sweet! So.....keep reading below to learn to make these beauties.

Directions:

Rinse off your apple with water & dry it well. Chop the honey crisp apples into slices - you can slice them into relatively thin pieces like I did mine.

Once the apple is chopped, dry it again to remove the excess moisture so that the chocolate will have an easier time adhering to the apple.

Break your Green & Black's bar into small square pieces - I used about half of the bar for one apple. Put the chocolate into a small, but somewhat deep bowl. Insert the chocolate into the microwave & add 30 seconds. Keep an eye on it the whole time as chocolate tends to get hot fast and burn! If this happens, it will NOT go on smooth & you will have to re-do. After the 30 seconds, remove the chocolate from microwave & stir a bit. If the chocolate hasn't melted, add it into the microwave again for another 10-15 second interval. Remove again & stir until it is fully melted. Stirring will help melt the chocolate faster. Once it is melted with a smooth consistency, then it is time to dip your apple pieces!

Dip one apple slice at a time halfway into the bowl, you can use a spoon to fill in any spots on the apple not covered with chocolate. I decided to dip them halfway - it's just easier to hold. Hold the apple in the air over the bowl & let any chocolate-drippings fall into the bowl. Once it feels like it's no longer dripping, carefully place it onto a clean plate. Once placed down, do not move them around or it will be a mess! Repeat this with every slice - once you've dipped all the pieces, it's time for the decor with glitter!!

I decided to decorate the apples with edible glitter from Rainbow Dust edible glitter. For my DIY - I chose the Gold. Just place some glitter in your hand & sprinkle it over the plated apples. There you have it!

For those of you who've been around since my 1st blog post ever on November 20, 2006 - you know that I've always loved design & decor. Well, in the last year my blog has taken a turn toward Fashion, and because we all evolve, I've followed my heart & wrote about what was inspiring me now. Not that Design is 'not my passion' - but it's now shifted to 2nd on my list of "I love these things".

But - for those of you missing the decor around here, we have some FAB new contributors who will be bringing the home decor back to the blog! I really think you'll love what they're about to share soon! Bring it on!

Hi everyone! Sandra from Blasfemmes here. It's that time of year when I'm both tempted by sales and at the same time I'm also curious about the Spring/14 collections coming out, can you relate?

So, while some of us are still debating between hunting good investment pieces from sales and coveting next Season's novelties why not go back to the classics? Today it's all about Parisian style, an old favorite of mine. Are you also fans of French chic?

Thank you for much for all the submissions, unfortunately we couldn't email everyone back, there were too many. We still haven't decided on the 'Food' category yet & we'll be keeping the current 2 fashion contributors on the blog. Because of this, we are not accepting anymore Fashion contributors at this time. If your name is listed below, please email us asap. Thanks & look forward to working with you!

Are you hoping for a Romantic dinner? A vacation? some gifts? - for me, I think V-day should be as often as possible, not just on February 14th. Celebrating LOVE should be an on-going thing if you're married or in a relationship. Don't you think??

There are many ways to celebrate - and we'll talk about that in the coming weeks before V-day - but today, I thought I'd share my V-day wishlist. Which means, any of these beauties would make a great gift! My two faves are #2 iPhone case from GiGi New York & the pony hair booties from Schutz.

Happy Monday!! Hope everyone is enjoying the start of the new year! As every year, we get to start it with love as we celebrate Valentine's Day! Yup... it's right around the corner!! Love is in the air and inspiring some delicious treats for the special day. I've been checking out Pinterest lately to feed that inspiration (pun intended!) and I wanted to share a few treats that caught my eye!!

Are you planning any special sweets and treats for the holiday?? Let me know, and enjoy!!

With the New Year - we're also bringing NEW art to MADE BY GIRL & couldn't wait to give you a sneak peek! There are a few other new items - but we'll announce them as they come in! Hope you LOVE all this upcoming stuff!! Remember - all prints can be framed directly through the site! Have a great weekend!

Hello, MBG readers! Fallon, of Sage + Sparkle here, sharing a healthy treat...Carrot Apple Juice. At the start of a new year, who doesn't love a good detox, and juice or smoothies are the perfect way to start. I typically have a fresh green juice every morning, but there are days that I love to throw in a little variety and this juice is the perfect way to do so. Carrots are really the star in this recipe, helping to cleanse the digestive system, on top of being an antioxidant, and boosting your immune system. Add in the apple and ginger, plus lemon and chia seeds and you have a winning, healthy combination.

*Please note: you will need a juicer to try this recipe, I recommend the this one.

Ingredients:

1 green apple (cut into pieces, removing the core)

4-5 large carrots *

1 sm piece of fresh ginger (about the size of thumb)

1 lemon (peeled)

Fun Fact: When it comes to carrots, the deeper the orange, the higher the concentration of beta-carotene

Directions:

Now it's time to add everything together and enjoy this delicious, fresh juice! Add all ingredients to juice in the following order (the order does matter):

Apple

Lemon

Ginger

Carrot

The last step is to add the chia seeds. Make sure you stir the juice first, to mix in the foam. Pour in chia seeds and stir. Enjoy! To learn more about the health benefits of chia seeds, click here. For more of my juice recipes, visit Sage + Sparkle.

If you're part of the Cocoa & Hearts newsletter - you know that 10 paintings went on sale in the gallery today! 9 small & 1 large. - At this time, this is the only piece left & it's a large 42"x33" painting. It's a mix of acrylic + gold spray paint. You can go here if you want to purchase.

Hi everyone, Adri here of Adri's World. Happy 2014 to you! As much as I love the holidays, I am glad they're over and I'm ready for this new year. One of the best things about starting a new year is the idea of a fresh, clean start and after all the sparkle and shine that comes with the holidays I like to keep things simple, clean yet stylish this time of year.

Two colors that I love when it comes to fashion are grey and black! You can pair them with anything—patterns, colors, or together and you'll look amazing. Here are a few of my favorite winter neutrals. I'd wear them all at once and maybe add a pop of color and pattern with a scarf, a skirt & tights or pants.

Do like to wear neutral colors in the winter or do you like to add color to your outfits?

Why don't we start the week with something sweet!! I love wearing perfume, don't you? So, today I wanted to let you in on a hot new fragrance line called AERIN. The garden inspired scents are unbelievable – I actually went ahead about bought myself a little Christmas present: the Amber Musk. The packaging is also gorgeous as you can see below - the beautiful fabric-like boxes sold me right away! Check out some of the wonderful scents they offer, and start your year off on the right "note".

Have you tried Aerinyet? Which is your favorite scent from the collection??

Hello ladies, this is Sandra from Blasfemmes. I hope you had wonderful holidays and I wish you all much love, success and health in 2014 and beyond!
To inspire a fresh start of the year I'd love to present you the Pantone color of the year 2014: Radiant Orchid. I love the color but in my opinion it's not the easiest one to match and for that reason I also included 3 other colors that work wonderfully paired with Radiant Orchid.

What do you think about Pantone's choice for 2014 color of the year? Do you think you will incorporate it in your closet, makeup or home decoration?

The time has come again! Contributors are such a joy to have at MadeByGirl & we are now looking for a few good ones! Love to see beautiful posts, don't you? Time to switch out
the current
contributors & bring in FRESH FACES & posts! I'm usually
busy managing my MBG Shop, painting for my Cocoa & Hearts gallery, marketing, answering e-mail & maintaining my personal life. Looking for new contributors to start around February 1st or 15th!!!!

I'd love to recruit 5-6 contributors to
blog here on Made By Girl! It's not going to be an easy task - but I'll
choose bloggers for each category below. Categories are:

Decor/Interior Design

Fashion

Beauty

Food

Below I've outlined the details:

HOW OFTEN WILL YOU POST:1-2x per month for 6 months.EXPERIENCE:Yes - Must have an active/updated blog. I'm looking for bloggers who have some knowledge of programs like
Photoshop & have a 'similar aesthetic' as Made By Girl. The
posts you write for MBG cannot be posted on your own blog, but you can
link to it from your blog.

WILL THERE BE COMPENSATION:Not at this time. But it's a great chance to gain more exposure & collaborate with MBG blog. I will also gift a LOVE print to all the new contributors who are chosen! BIO PAGES:We'll be adding a page with photos & short bios of all the current contributors - here's anexample. .

RESOURCES:It's very important to credit 'all' images properly.

PRETTY POST PLS:I love pretty & interesting posts. So pls put some LOVE into it! FASHION BLOGGER SUBMISSIONS: I will need some collage-style posts from you, NOT all outfit posts.

HOW DO YOU SUBMIT:If you you want to submit, email here
& let us know 'which category' you're interested in. Write 'Contributors'
in the email subject pls. ALSO, pls email me your blog so I can see
your style! If you submitted last yr. don't be afraid to submit again! WHEN WILL WE SELECT CONTRIBUTORS:If you don't hear from someone at Made
By Girl in about 2-3 weeks from this post, it means someone else was
selected. Unfortunately, we may not be able to respond to everyone. We will post the selected contributors in an upcoming post!

I got to be creative (what I love) by putting together a FAB gold glitter DIY 2014 sign & spend some much needed time with my husband & friends. However - this new year will be a time to reflect on my business, my marriage, my health & more. In the midst of everything, I've been trying to listen to God's voice. Like anything else, with so much going on, it's easy to miss a beat & end up doing the opposite of what I know I'm supposed to be doing. I've made a few quirky goals for myself such as working out at least one more day a wk. & longer workouts. I'd like to get those 4-6 pack abs I had back a few years ago. Why not?! I'm aiming to stay healthy & maintain a stronger core, which means less back pain for me. Another thought was painting larger paintings, I know that I tend to do a lot of little 8"x10"'s - but with the lack of time, they're easier to get through. However, I need to focus & figure out when I could just drown out & paint. Noted.

Another thing was our on going journey to having a child. I'm not going to lie, it's been a long road & certainly an emotional one. There are days, I smile in public while quietly yearning for a child. I know it's a part of life to feel pain, but I'm learning that the way we deal with that pain... is what matters. And, although I'm not ready to fully speak about this, I hope to soon. Until then, we are trusting that God is working behind the scenes for us.

Let's see....is that it?? Hmmm - now Marriage. It's not easy. Ups & downs are constant - but this year we are working to tip the scales, so that we could see more ups THAN downs. Trusting God - having family, good solid friendships & always picking ourselves back up when we fall...that is where we both want to be. All in all, I AM blessed, and the blessings I see every day are reasons to celebrate.

My hope is to keep on inspiring women all over the globe..... to be strong, courageous, to be loving, kind, caring & to not be discouraged. Even when I'M A MESS, I somehow find my SUPERWOMAN vest & I put it back on. To quote Alicia Keys....'I'm a Superwoman, yes, I am"- and we HAVE TO believe that... despite what others feel or view us as. This year, I will strive to constantly see myself the way God sees me & I hope you ladies will do the same. Happy New Year!!

So I have some really exciting news for you guys!! I recently partnered up with Lamps Plus!! I feel so honored to be working with them, as they have a ton of great stuff I'd highly recommend to anyone.

So what does this mean for you?? It means that you can now purchase MY designs on Lamps Plus! Yup – Jen Ramos for Lamps Plus, you read that right ;) You can check out some of my chevron Ikat-inspired lighting here! With up to 16+ different color combinations to choose from, you can find the right lamp shade for you! OR, if none of the given color schemes really speak to you, you can go ahead and design your own! How awesome is that? They give you the option of choosing from 4 different colors. I played around with the feature myself and created these chic black and white patterns... check them out below!

Happy New Year! - Welcome to 2014. Can you believe it? Well, time to talk about shopping and adding some new pieces to your home this year!

Dwell Studio is one of my fave home accessories shops! They have a ton of modern items for the home - which is something I love when it comes to home decor. I've had their ORO Cutlery - which means Gold Cutlery & it's the most amazing quality, perfect for eating fancy desserts! My favorite piece though is their Urchin lamp in Gold+black - so glamorous!